Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um said passenger and airline inconvenience at Suvarnabhumi airport had prompted airline operators to demand Don Muang airport be reopened, and revive a plan to use both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports to serve Bangkok’s air traffic.

Yesterday, he chaired a meeting with current and former executives of Airports of Thailand (AOT) and representatives of the Civil Aviation Department, low-cost airlines and the Airline Operators Committee.

The government of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra changed the dual-airport policy to a single-airport policy.

Mr Sansern said AOT would now review its Suvarnabhumi master plan. He believes AoT proposed expanding Suvarnabhumi without considering its actual physical limitations. AoT planned additional land acquisition and as many as six runways for Suvarnabhumi, he said.

Mr Sansern said working groups would consider the re-use of Don Muang airport, review the Suvarnabhumi master plan and tackle passenger inconvenience at Suvarnabhumi.

An AOT source said a prompt decision on reopening Don Muang could allow Bangkok to serve heavy traffic during the upcoming New Year and Chinese New Year festivals, as Suvarnabhumi airport could not handle any more flights. Its peak traffic stands at 76 flights an hour.